faderift | Truth or Dare: The Imperial Court

Truth or Dare: The Imperial Court

WHO: Select Orlesian and Fereldan Nobility and the Inquisition
WHAT: Josephine and Vivienne have orchestrated a good-will soiree in response to this dastardly rumor.
WHEN: Drakonis 15, Evening
WHERE: Skyhold Great Hall
NOTES:
- A list of nobles in attendance can be found here. The list was provided by the mods but there will be no npc support for them. Play away.
- A secondary outside party is being held in the valley in the tent town for anyone who couldn't/wouldn't attend and/or behave in the fancy pansty party.
- The goal of the evening is to clear up a spurious rumor about Cassandra and Leliana, with secondary goals of establishing the Inquisition as a respectable presence in Thedas (and fish for more money). Any major disruptions that would Game Over the court approval should probably be brought to the advisors and/or mods.

To say that Josphine has far outdone herself with this little soiree would be the understatement of the year. The Lady Ambassador has pulled out all the stops in providing a festive and yet elegant stage for this political intervention. Because sometimes gossip can be more deadly than a sword.

The Great Hall of Skyhold has been converted into a grand receiving hall, glittering with hundreds of lights around the room, in addition to the repairs accomplished to the original chandeliers. Of course, there has been artful placement arranged so there are a few shadowy corners for rendezvous of the more suggestive nature. Just in case. The majority of the floor has been cleared for dancing, and a fine troupe of musicians have been installed for the bulk of the evening's entertainments. Some members of the Inquisition have plans to entice attendees with their own artistic performances in addition to the group of mages performing illusory tricks to oohs and aahs.

For those who feel their energy flagging, there are chairs set against the walls, with a few tables interspersed between. Servers hired for the evening circulate the crowds with wine, fine Orlesian and Nevarran reds as well as crisp whites from Antiva. Refreshments are set out on buffet tables, tasteful and extravagant nibbles, including imported cheeses, spicy saucisson, dried fruits and nuts, and the highly sought after deep mushroom and anise petits fours that are all the rage in Orlais.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Drinks and lurking

Maria had made a straight line for the the drinks table the moment she entered the ball. It simply wasn't her kind of affair. Dancing, politics, fine clothing that served to hinder fighting ability, and worse of all, no weaponry. It was as if the Ambassador had dreamed up the opposite of Maria's entire life as a Templar and shoved her in. Still, orders were orders and Maria had dressed as the situation demanded.

Maria can be found for most of the night slowly wandering the edges of the room, checking for any security issues and, to all appearances, getting drunk off the plentiful wine. Any one particularly observant and bored, however, may notice that while she seems to be constantly refilling an empty glass in her hand, Maris never actually takes more than a few sips over the course of the night.

Dancing

Lessons. She had taken lessons for this. So while most of the night is spent away from the crowds, Maria does make it a point to be seen on the dance flood with a handful of partners during the evening. Anyone, male or female, looking at the floor with any kind of desire that doesn't currently have a partner is likely to be asked for a quick dance.

Wildcard
Set up your own starter, I will just in!

Gavin is unusually and uncharacteristically quiet. While normally he would be the life of the party, laughing and joking with everyone, he was anything but that, this evening. He smiled, sure, but it was forced, and he looked preoccupied and far away.

Dancing, however, was something that he had to do, to keep up appearances, and Maria - Maria was safe. As far as any of them were. She would lecture him, maybe, but it was always about his well being. Not about his ears.

"Ser Maria," He said, offering her a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "May I have this dance?"

Putting on a mask of presently, or any other kind, wasn't Maria's forte. So it's her slightly mocking 'what has life before?' smile that's given in return as she offers her hand. Tradition was the point of the night, after all. The man led, no matter the differences in social rank or...whatever else these people decided was important this week.

"Master Scout. Only if you don't run too far ahead of me."

"I think tonight if I rush ahead of you, it's because I've fallen down," He admitted ruefully, or well, as rueful as he could get, at the moment.

Surprisingly, he actually did know how to dance (sort of) so he even managed to lead her to the dance floor in a way that didn't simply embarrass them both.

"That dress is absolutely beautiful, by the way," He said, giving her a small, but at least more genuine, smile. "It almost lives up to the woman who wears it."

She snorts softly at that. Not what the dancing instructor had suggested as part of the political dance that went along with the physical one, but Maria wasn't in much mood for it. Still, that she wasn't the one leading Gavin was a bit of a surprise.

"And just as un-Orlesian as her as well. The dress and the dancing were under orders. Templar training didn't come with lessons. I'd have guessed dalish life was the same."

"Oh, but I thought all the stories had us dancing naked in the moonlight all the time," He replied, and but the cheerfulness fell flat as he began to move into the dance, one hand holding hers, the other resting on her waist.

"But here I think we're all under orders. Not that I would really have to be ordered to a party."

"Blood mages. You're thinking of blood mages."

But she'll accept that he was ordered to dance. Considering her own position, that was an easy enough idea. But she can't help one last addition.

"Not as synonymous with Dalish as some may think."

"Ohh, I thought it was just a general elf thing. Well that's good to know, I can stop practising."

The music warms up and he moves with it, surprisingly graceful, and leading despite the fact that they were basically the same height.

"And I'm glad to hear you say so, at least. I haven't actually met a blood mage, yet, so I'm not sure I'd be able to tell the difference."

"Good instinct. They usually blend in. The evil cackling isn't as common as people think."

An eyebrow had gone up slightly. Gavin sounded more bitter than the normal tone she'd come to associate with him- when she wasn't chastising him. But even that 'I know I screwed up' voice wasn't the one here tonight.

"Gavin?"

"Sorry," he said immediately, pushing the bitterness back as far as he could, and giving her a smile - but it still didn't quite reach his eyes.

"I haven't seen you in a while, though," he said, immediately changing tack before she could question him any further than 'Gavin?'. "I keep hearing weird rumours about the Templars, and wondering what you've been doing."

"Sacrificing mages in dark dungeons?"

She's using the same tone Gavin had come out in, despite the light words. Something had happened, the deflection only underscoring it. That he'd brought up rumors about the Dalish hinted it was more trouble there. Had there been a covered up incident?

Maria is the first to misstep in the dance as she puzzles that out, quickly looking down to fix her foot position.

"No, no, though I did hear something about a ritual orgy and one of the templars leaving so that she wouldn't have to go naked anymore. And something about a blood mage dragon?" He tried to make it a joke, but it fell far flatter than it should have, as he quickly pulled his toes away before she stepped on them, and tried to make up quickly for her misstep, his hand accidentally pausing at the small of her back instead of her hip as he corrected for them.

"Basically I'm not sure that anyone knows what's going on."

"That's what scouts are for."

And spies. She lets the hand stay, not bothered by it or interested in further highlighting her misstep. But she does add another thing to the list of Leliana's fault.

They're a few inches closer to adjust to the new position, and her volume falls slightly to account for it.

"It has been a while. But it seems more has happened to you."

His ears drooped at the question, having hoped he'd successfully avoided it.

"I haven't run away again, if that's what you mean," He said, but it was obviously not what she meant, and they both knew it. "It's nothing. I merely... thought I had something good, and managed to break it again. Or have it broken. I don't know. I'm finding it harder and harder to understand the decisions being made."

Maria Hill | OTA

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